PLATFORM: AMSTRAD CPC DEVELOPER: PAKETE SOF T DOWNLOAD: KIKSTART.ME.UK/PHANTOMAS2CPC PRICE: FREE DOWNLOAD, 8.75 EUROS CA SSE T TEHailing from the Andromeda galaxy
and programmed to boldly seek out
new civilisations deemed to be worth
pillaging, Phantomas the sentient
android travelled the universe for
decades in search of new places to
steal from. Visiting Earth proved to be
his downfall however, and half-inching
the contents of some millionaire’s vault
led to the thieving machine’s arrest.
But while he languished in a cell, an
unexpected and enticing offer turned
up from the powers that be. Our
protagonist can choose to take on and
defeat some ne’er do well called Dracula
to earn his freedom.
The Count’s castle is huge and
Phantomas is in search of the crucifix,
stake and hammer required to complete
his mission without even wondering why
a vampire would keep these items just
lying around. To make the final battle
a little more fair there are six shuttered
windows which can be magically opened
by using the switches in the room where
they’re located and these allow sunlight
in that weakens Dracula. There are
also keys which can be used to unlockotherwise inaccessible areas of the map,
but finding and using any of the objects
involves working around the patrolling
creatures of the night, timer-controlled
laser defences and a series of motion-
activated traps which launch spears
when triggered.
This is a remake of the game
Phantomas 2 and, along with some
welcome cosmetic upgrades including
the sprucing up of the visuals and some
sold in-game tunes, changes have also
been made to the control system which
make the titular droid significantly easier
to manoeuvre. Dracula has recently had
his castle remodelled to remove some
of the nastier death traps - although the
contractors have apparently added a few
new, potentially deadly features in the
process - but it’s still packed to the rafters
with hazards. Gathering all of the items
needed to defeat Dracula without being
skewered or zapped in the process is still
very difficult and Phantomas 2.0 has, like
the original Dinamic game it’s based on,
been aimed at more hardy adventurers.PHANTOMAS 2.0
Score 88 %
» [Amstrad CPC] This is, as Lynn Faulds Wood used to
say, a potential deathtrap.» [Amstrad CPC] Making a climb upwards from the
graveyard of Dracula’s abode.» [Plus /4] Planning for fibre optic broadband
has never been so dif ficult.» [Plus /4] Rack them up for a trick shot with
Beamphobia 2.Beamphobia for the
Commodore Plus/4 is an
illuminating game, quite literally,
in fact, since the objective is to
guide a beam of light from its
source and through any crystals
in the playfield before ultimately
striking a target. There are also
mirrors and lengths of fibre optic
cabling which can be used to
guide light around the playfield and
spheres with a channel that the
beam can pass through, all of which
can be rotated at will.
There isn’t a time limit to worry
about and making a mistake just
resets the current stage, so players
can spend time thinking about each
puzzle. For anybody who finds
themselves running out of puzzles
while playing the original, there’s a
sequel called Beamphobia 2 – The
Lost Levels. Head your way over to
Kikstart.me.uk/beamphobia-264 and
Kikstart.me.uk/beamphobia-2-264.»»»[A
gra104 | RETRO GAMER